photo: cbs
Survivor
You Started, You’re Finishing
Original Air Date: Dec 1, 2010
Ryan O – Two Cents Reviewer
ryano@thetwocentscorp.com
The low down Well, there’s no voting on this episode but there’s still a lot of drama about who will go and who will stay because something unprecedented happens on this episode. Also, Naonka comes across as heartless and despicable human being again some more. But that’s completely in line with established precedent.
Pre-credits: Purple Kelly tells Naonka that she didn’t know what was going on during the previous Tribal Council where Brenda was voted. She solo-views, rather astutely, that she’s going to be at the bottom of any alliance she joins at this point (I wonder if this plays into her thinking later in the episode?). Naonka solo-views that she doesn’t know what literally means by way of saying that Brenda literally threw her under the bus and ran over her with it and then backed-up over her. Chase talks to her about the two of them and Holly and Jane sticking together. They realize they might have to blindside Sash since he has an idol.
Pre-Challenge: It’s raining really hard again. There’s a raging river by their camp where a pond used to be. Everyone’s is huddled in the shelter. Purple Kelly solo-views that she’s not sure how much more she can take although she doesn’t want to give up.
Naonka talks with Chase about how isn’t sure how much long she can hang in. She gives him her idol in the hopes that he can do something with it. He solo-views that he isn’t going to give it back regardless of what happens later.
Holly tells Jane that the two of them and Chase and Sash need to stick together (they’re already counting Naonka out). Sash says he doesn’t trust the three of them as much as he trusts Kelly and Naonka. He’s worried about them dropping from the game.
Reward Challenge! They’re divided into two teams. Each team has to untie an eight-foot tall dummy, named Gulliver, and then bring the dummy through a series of obstacles. Oh, and the teammates are all tied together. They’re playing for a chance to see a screening of the yet-unreleased Gulliver’s Travels starring Jack Black and Jason Segel while eating movie food. Really? That’s it? Seems pretty shabby. (Also, yes, that is a real yet-to-be-released movie and not something the show made up.)
On the yellow team: Jud, Sash, Jane, and Kelly. On the blue team, Holly, Naonka, Chase, and Benry. Danny was not picked but has picked the blue team as the team he thinks is going to win. He’ll get the reward, too, if blue wins.
Yellow is the first to have their dummy untied but not a lot in front of blue. The two teams hit the first obstacle, a wall, at the same time and get over at the same time. They go through the second obstacle at the same time. Blue builds a small lead in the last obstacle and wins.
As Jeff re-describes what the reward is, Naonka announces that because her body is worn down, this is her last day. Jeff confirms that means that she’s quitting (because, really, one can’t be sure with her and her grasp of language). He asks if anyone else wants to quit. Kelly pipes up that she doesn’t want to go another day on just a couple spoonfuls of rice. Jeff says Naonka doesn’t seem like a quitter. She replies that she’s not and this the first time she’s ever quit something. Jeff decides to give them the afternoon to think about quitting. They’ll announce their decision at Tribal Council.
Jeff then offers those on the winning team the opportunity to give up their reward in exchange for a new tarp and enough rice to get them through to the end of the game. Really, Naonka, if you’re going to quit anyway, just do it. Ugh. But, fortunately, Holly steps up. As she explains to Jeff why she’s doing it, Chase urges Naonka to take her place but Naonka doesn’t. She just sits there. Holly then turns and stares daggers at Naonka. She solo-views that she totally misjudged Naonka’s personality.
Post-Challenge The losers get back to camp and work quickly to get the new tarp up and the fire going since they expect rain to start falling very soon. Holly walks with Kelly to collect fire wood. She asks Kelly if she’s still thinking of quitting; Kelly is. Holly tells her to suck it up and hang in there and that she’ll regret quitting. Kelly solo-views that she has nothing left to suck. Holly recalls in a solo-view that Jimmy Johnson talked her out of quitting and she’s so glad. Holly has made a complete turn-around since the early days when she was throwing Danny’s shoes in the pond.
The winners walk up to a souped-up hut that’s stocked with hot dogs, popcorn, and candy. Naonka demonstrates that she doesn’t understand math in a solo-view by saying she didn’t give 110% in the challenge just to give it up just because she was going to go home anyway. “Unh uh. I’m no fool.” What? Seriously, What? Does she really think it would be foolish to give up her spot at the reward in exchange for the tribe having a tarp and rice when she’s going quit a few hours later?
Then, we watch them watch the movie, which looks not very good.
Naonka solo-views after the movie that she has a lot of energy. Whatever. Just go already.
Kelly solo-views that she’s not sure if the tarp and rice is enough to get her through another day.
Tribal Council Jeff explains, for the benefit of the jury, that everyone is there because Naonka and Kelly want to quit, which shocks the jury.
Holly against recounts how Jimmy Johnson talked her out of quitting. Jane says she wishes the two of them would hang in there.
Naonka says when it’s windy and raining hard, her joints hurt a lot because she’s anemic. (I checked a couple different sources out of curiosity. I did not find this listed among the reported symptoms for any of the various types of anemia.) She says she’s “literally freezing.” She says she’s proud to have lasted 28 days and that she’s the last African-American. She exclaims that she’s from a line of strong African-American women.
Kelly says it came to her early that morning that quitting might be the thing to do. The bad weather felt endless to her and broke her down emotionally.
Benry is frustrated by the talk of quitting, especially when they’re obviously so capable.
Jeff asks Naonka if she thinks she has a realistic shot at winning the game. “Yes.” “Based on what?” “Based on my drive once upon a time.” Jeff is stunned, “This is amazing!” “My drive and my attitude and my spunk, my charm. I mean, I’ve lasted 28 days.” “I just want to be clear, you think you had a shot at winning this game?” “I don’t think I did, I KNOW I did.”
Wow.
Jeff asks Naonka, after announcing she was going to quit, why didn’t she volunteer to sit out the reward. The jury is in disbelief at her selfishness. “I didn’t want to. I was going to go out with a bang.” Jeff asks if she sees it as selfish. Naturally, Naonka doesn’t care what anyone thinks, which doesn’t actually answer the question.
Jeff asks Naonka if she’s staying in the game or quitting. She’s quitting.
Jeff asks Kelly the same thing. She’s quitting, too.
Jeff asks what they should with her torch. “What happened to [the jury members’ torches]? It got smuffed [sic].” “Smuffed” makes Jud just burst out laughing.
Their torches do snuffed and they will be on the jury.
The jury is pretty upset with the quitting. In her post-snuffing speech, Kelly apologizes to Alina, Marty, and Brenda for quitting when they want to play. Naonka, of course, says she owes no one an apology and she has no regrets. She feels it’s an accomplishment to have lasted 28 days.
I don’t really care how it happened; I’m just glad Naonka is gone. I don’t know what she’s like in the real world but there were no redeeming qualities to her on the show. On top of that, she has no self-awareness, which only served to compound everything since she seemed to be proud of how she acted on the show. I’m fairly disappointed the two of them are going to be on the jury.
Bubbling Under
Sash needs to decide if he’s going to hang with Chase, Jane, and Holly or Danny, Benry, and Jud. He’s a swing vote who has an idol, which is a good spot to be in for a little while but it might make people not trust him towards the very end.
What do you expect to happen in the coming weeks? Let’s hear your Two Cents!
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